1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the field of high speed communication, and, more particularly, to the field of superconductive digital switches for use in multi-gigahertz applications.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Technological need for high speed communications is rapidly growing in the current global communication environment. Future data highway networks and videophone systems can be realized by developing multi-gigahertz data communication technology. Fiber optic technology offers gigahertz speed data transmission to make a future multi-gigahertz data communication feasible. The synchronous optical network (SONET) and the asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) packet switching technology are considered to be future technologies to accomplish multi-gigahertz data communication. These are major components of a future global network.
The biggest obstacle to full utilization of the large bandwidth available with optical fiber technology is in the switching network nodes. Presently the most advanced switching networks use 16 channel input.times.16 channel output ATM switches operating at 100 Mbps. Developing a switch operable at tens of gigahertz speed is critical to advancing the current technology to a multi-gigahertz technology. Consequently, there is a need for an improved digital switch capable of operating at multi-gigahertz speeds.